Shoe-stretcher.



E. E. ELLMANN.

SHOE STRETUHER.

APPLICATION HLED 00T.17,19\3.

ERNEST E. ELLMANN, OF

ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF. T0 ISAAC Haas, or sr. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

snon-srnn'rcnnn.

vSpecification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 17, 1914.

Application filed October 17, 1913. Serial No. 795,626. 4

To all whom it may concern Be it known that l, ERNEST E. ELLMANN, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvel ments in Shoe-Stretchers, of which the following is a. specication.

This invention relates to devices tor stretching boots and shoes and the like, and

' has tor its object to provide a new and improved device of this character which is simple and strong in construction, effective in operation and comparatively inexpensive to manufacture.

Heretofore, shoe-stretchers have been made in the form ot' a last that is divided longitudinally into two halves, which are hinged together at the heel and have registering grooves in the inner faces for the reception of a spreading block having somewhat the form of an arrow-head, this block being moved longitudinally in the grooves by means of a screw-threaded rod which passes through a screw-threaded opening in a sta tionary block-held in recesses in the inner faces of the halves of the last. In practice,

this shoe-stretcher has been found to be objectionable and in'eective, because the halves would spread apart greater at the extreme forwardv end or toe .of the last than elsewhere, thus causing the toe ot' the shoe to be stretched greater than the vamp, and, sometimes, when the halves were being spread apart at the toe, the spreading block would travel out of the grooves in the halves and then drop out of its position so that it would not renter the grooves Without having to remove the last with the halves spread apart from the shoe.

This improved shoe-stretcher v obviates these objectionable features.

Further, the present invention consists ot the novel features of construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, in which like numbers of reference denote like parts wherever y they occur,.F1gure 1 1s a perspective view of v a shoe-stretcher embodying the present invention; Fig'. Q is a top plan View, partly in section, of the shoe-stretcher,showing the stretching parts spread apart; Fig. 3 isla longitudinal sectional viewy ,on the line 33, .lfig. 2,; is artransverse sectional View on the line fle-Jl, Fig. 2; and Fig. 5 is a per spective view of a corn or bunon attachment for the stretcher. I

The shoe-stretcher embodying the present invention consists of elast l having the upper part of its forward portion cut away to foi-1n a recess 2 and a forwardly-extending sole portion 3. Said last consists of* two complementary halves 4, the inner faces of which extend longitudinally in the middle wall of the recess 2 and register with each other to form an opening for the reception of a screw-threaded rod 6, there being, also, an angular depression 7 in the inner faceof each half 4 for the reception and retention of a nut 8 through which said rod, also, e'X-'I tends, so that. whenever the rod 6 is rotated, the nut 8 will remain stationary with respect thereto and will cause said rod to travel either forwardly or rearwardly for the purof the rod 6 extends beyond the heel of the last '1 and bears a handle 9 by means of which said rod is operated.- The forward end of the' rod 6 projects beyond, the rear of the last and are Joined together securely 80 pose hereinafter described. The rear end wall of the recess 2 and extendsbetween the""` inner faces of a pair of complementary sepa i'able members 10, which members rest upon the sole portion 3 of the last, there being opposed grooves 1l in the innerfaces of theA members 10 for the reception ofthe forward" portion of the rod 6, when said members are drawn rtogether in the manner hereinafter described. In order to permit the members l0 yto be spread apart readily and, also, tol

prevent the rear wall of the recess 2 from obstructing the movement of the members l0, the portions 12 of the halves 4 that `form the-.rear wall of the recess 2 diverge rearwai-diy` and the rear ends 130i the members` 10,-in ylike manner, diverge rearwardly so that same will fit closely against the diverging portions 12, when said members are drawn together.

I The reduced forward end 14 of the rod 6 is revolubly retained in a central opening in a member 15 by means of a washer 16 or the like, .which is secured to the reduced end 14 by a pin 17 or other suitable means,

thereben'g a depressionl in theinner ilo ,Y Y inner faces of the latter touch; 5 i' 45,

figuration and is arranged so that its flanges .19 extend forwardly to` rece1ve therebetween the inner ends of a pair of toggle linlrs 20 which inner ends of said links are pivoted to said fianvesadjacent to the sides thereof by-means o pins 21 or the like. The "outer ends of the toggle links 2O extend between the flanges of a pair of channel-irons 23 and are pivotally attached to said flanges by means of pins 24 or the like said channelirons being secured. inthe depressions 1 8, respectively, by screws 25 or otherisuitable means and being preferably arranged in spaced parallel relation so that their flanges 22 extend inwardly toward the member l5.

A pair of links 26 having their "forward ends pivotally connected'to the member 10, respectively, by means ofdscrews 2i' or the like, extend rearwardly'in slots 28 in the halves4 of the last 1, beingpivotally connec'ted at their rear ends to said halves by screw's`29 orthe like. By this arrangement,

fwl'ienever the rodl 6 is rotated in the direction to travel forwardly, the member 15 will, also, travel inthe same direction and thereby cause the member 15 to movethe inner ends'oftheilinksl() forwardly, whereby the toggle'links 2O exert outwardV pressure upon fthe channel-,irons 23, with the result of causing the'members 10 tospread apart in parallel vlor nearly parallel relation, the

:links 26 preventing forward `movement of thefmembers l0 while the latter are moved apa-rt. Y Rotation' of therod 6 in the vreverse '40 direction causes the member 151 to move rearwardly, whereby' the toggle links 20 'approach a, parallel direction and draw the members lOtoward each otheri until the It should be observed that jwhen the members 10 are drawn together,"`the louter lower edges of same stand directly above the outer edges ofthe sole portion 3', yso that the last can be readily inserted into or 'withdrawn `from a shoe.' Furthermore, the outer lower edgesof the members 10 and,also, the outer t rear edges of .the same are lpreferably rounded to prevent same from cutting the shoe while the latter is being. stretched.

' ln bperation, after the members vl0 have been dra-.wn together, as lshown'in Fig.' 1, the last isinsert'ed into the shoe (not shown in the drawings) in the usualmanner, and Y l y. then the rod 6 is turned in the proper direction lto ;caus'e `the member 15 to move forivardly, lthereby. causing the toggle links 20 toY forcethev members. l() `apart',.with the result that the latter stretchuthe*part of the A shoe Vin 'engageinent therewith. In order -'to'reiflive the last" from'the she'aft'er the latter has been stretched, the rod 6 is turned in the reverse direction to ,draW the members -l() together, after which the last may 'be withdrawn from the shoe. lt-twill be evident that, when the members l0 are moved apart to stretcha shoe as hereinabove described, the Ymembers l0 exert a uniform pressure upon the part of the shoe in engagement therewith, causing the latter to be stretched uniformly. In case it is desiredto stretch the shoe greater at some particular part, as, for'instance, at the part which would engage a corn or bunion on thewearers foot, a block 3 0 having .a convex outer surface maybe attachedto:

' one of themembers 110 by 'inserting the pin :51 borne by said blockinto ari-'aperture 32 in said member, asdepicted in'Figl, to ciect'such'increased stretching of the shoe at the desired point. It `will be observed that.`each member '10 is provided with a l"pll'irality of'apertures' 32V' so that one block 30 or more may be attached thereto. f'

lt should be understood that the ylast'l and the members 10 maybe made o'woodfvbo or metal. l N

fflclaiin" I 'n' 1. shoe-stretcher' comprising last having a recess m its upper forepart anda lon-,m

. ,f :itudinalv opening in its upper 'rear part, raf-*'95 pair of separable memberssupported in the recess yin said last, a screw-threaded `rocleX- tending through the opening in `said last, the-forward end of'saidrodvextending hietween said members andhaving'toggle-jointllco connections with same, means supported withinthe opening in said last. for effecting longitudinalmovement of saidrod when the latter is rotated, and :a'pair of links plv-w otally connected to said la'stl and havingo pivotal connections with 'sa-id A 1"ne1-nbers'.

shoe-stretcher comprising'al last having a recess in its upper forepart and' alone gitudin'al'opening in its upper irear part, a.. pair of separable membersy supportedinithel recessl in said last, a screw-:threaded rod extending through ,the openingin said last,

' the forward end of said rod: extending between said members and'havingj togglefioint connections with same, means sup 'orted 2115 withinl the lopening,r 'in l'said:last fore ecting .nectin'gvsaidl members' and consisting yof a Shaped-"member: @parte finistere.. their inner @nds plvioted waneibaweeaae la flanges of said U-shaped member, a pair of channel-irons secured in the depressions in said separable members and having the outer ends of said links pivoted to and between their flanges, means carried by said last for actuating said U-'shaped member, and means pivotally connecting said separable members with said last.

4. A shoe-stretcher comprising a last having a recess in its upper iorepart and a slot extending rearwardly from the recess, a pair oi' separable members supported in the recess in said last, a pair of links having their forward ends pivotally connected to saidl members and their rear ends pivoted in the rear ends of the slot in said last, a togglejoint connecting said members, and means carried by said last for actuating said toggle-joint.

' A shoe stretcher comprising a last having a recess in its upper forepart and also having a pair of opposite longitudinal slots which communicate with said recess and which extend adjacent to the rear of the last, a pair. of separable members slidable transversely throughout their lengths in said recess, links in said slots pivoted to said rear of the last and to the inner ends of said members, a threaded rod, a memberA connected to said rod to partake of the longitudinal movement thereof, and toggle links pivoted to said member and to said separable members to relatively expand and contract the latter.

6. A shoe stretcher comprising a last having a recess in its upper forepart, a pair of separable members slidable transversely throughout their lengths in said recess, pivoted links connected to said members for guiding the transverse in and out movements thereof, toggle links pivoted to said members, and means to actuate the toggle links to relatively expand and contract said members.

7. A shoe stretcher comprising a last having a recess in its upper forepart and also having a pair of longitudinal slots which communicate with said recess and which eX- tend adjacent to the rear of the last, a pair of separable members slidable transversely throughout their lengths in said recess, links in the slots pivoted to the rear of the last and to the inner ends of said members, the inner sides of said members having sockets located between the ends and the top and bottom faces thereof, channel irons received in said sockets, a screw threaded rod carried by the rear of the last, a member connected to the rod to partake of the longitudinal movement thereof and having its ends receivable in the sockets, and toggle links pivoted to said member and to said channel irons.

8. In a shoe stretcher having a forepart and a rear part, the combination of a pair of separable members located at the forepart of the stretcher and being movable transversely throughout their length, means pivotally connected to said members for guiding the transverse movements thereof, toggle links pivoted to said members, and means supported by the rear part of the stretcher for actuating the toggle links to move said members toward and away from each other.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aix my signature in the presence lof two witnesses.

ERNEST E. ELLMANN.

Witnesses:

ISAAC Haas, GLADYS WALToN. 

